The summer heat is finally catching up to the trail of flames Joe Russo’s Almost Dead has left in its wake so far in 2024. The band spent the last couple of weeks dishing out heat from the stage that matched the record temperatures that greeted them in the south and northeast.
JRAD kicked off their latest run with a festival set at Bonnaroo on June 14th. The Tennessee heat was expected. So was a fat festival setlist the band tore through with ease. Grateful Dead standards Eyes of the World, Shakedown St, and Truckin’ covered much of the performance as the band prepped for four shows that would continue the path they’ve been rolling down all year. Introduce new non-Grateful Dead songs, play the crap out of everything, and have fun.
The heat and setlist were the spotlight the next night at St. Louis Music Park. Fortunately, the venue had a nice breeze to keep the heat away. At least until the band took the stage with an eye opening setlist filled with rarities. Wang Dang Doodle and The Race Is On popped up in the first set. Alligator, Gonesville and the second Death Don’t Have No Mercy were featured in the second set. Throw in blistering versions of Scarlet Begonias, Deal, Cats Under the Stars, Jack Straw and several more and the “fomo” was real for those who missed a non-broadcast gem.
JRAD was greeted the next week in Hampton Beach NH with record breaking 90 degree temperatures as they opened a two night stand at the historic and oddly shaped Hampton Casino Ballroom. The venue which opened in 1899 is shaped like a burrito with the crowd extending sideways from the stage instead of backwards. Air Conditioning and massive ceiling fans were no match for the heat coming from outside and from the stage. The band wisely brought and used towels throughout the show to stifle the heat they were creating with another above average setlist and performance.
Scott Metzger and Marco Benevento had extra shine night one unleashing numerous energy raging solos that took the northeast crowd to a higher level. Metzger attacked his guitar from the start. His ferocity in the moment caused his hands to attack his guitar from different angles than normal. At one point he got so wound up he began stomping his feet like a bull about to charge. Night one also saw the second appearance of ZZ Top’s Waiting For the Bus. The song was met with the same enthusiasm as its debut earlier this year once again reaffirming the notion it doesn’t matter whose catalog the band is playing. As long as they play it the JRAD way.
The burrito was sold out and completely stuffed for night two with an additional 500 people in the crowd. They were in for a treat as JRAD was about to serve up one if its finest performances of 2024. The third version of Tom Petty’s Time to Move On followed by Cumberland Blues got the night rolling. From there, things escalated immediately. Russo was in hyper speed all night drumming with a fury not seen in a while. A well expanded Estimated Prophet flowed perfectly into Mississippi Half Step. This version found Metzger and fellow guitarist Tom Hamilton trading beautiful guitar leads back and forth which once again opened new levels for everyone else to explore. The set ended with a Dark Star (to the tune of Fire on the Mountain) – The Other One combo that left everyone in the packed ballroom searching for the proper words to explain the insanity they just witnessed.
The second set kept the late 60’s/early 70’s Grateful Dead vibe with an opening combo of Easy Wind, Let it Grow, and St Stephen. The energy went up another two levels as the band worked their way into a “Fudgy” sounding debut of The Supreme’s You Keep Me Hanging On. Which the crowd was barely able to do. JRAD wrapped the set with massive servings and Rubin and Cherise and Throwing Stones. Not to be outdone, the encore saw another breakout of Eddie Cochran’s Summertime Blues with Hamilton on lead vocals and underrated vocalist Dave Dreiwitz on backup.
After a lengthy drive to Fairport, NY, the band wrapped up their mini run with another standout performance at the Perinton Center Park Amphitheater. They spent the first set in the Grateful Dead cosmos with splendid renditions of Stagger Lee, Touch of Grey, and Bertha. As usual, JRAD cranked it up in the second set with a blistering The Music Never Stopped and The Eleven followed by a titanic Help on the Way – Slipknot- Elizabeth Reed – Ophelia.
The JRAD calendar is practically empty for the next 6 weeks. They’ll headline the Peach at the Beach July 13 in Atlantic City. Their much anticipated performance at the Floyd Fest is set for July 25th.
